We are looking for a profitable CPM where competitors are losing customers. Cancellation requests and complaints about competitor products are not junk, but a goldmine for PPC. These are high-intent leads ready to convert. One SaaS client case showed a CTR of 15% and a CPA 18% lower than in regular campaigns. And this was despite the query not containing the client’s product name.
People were not looking for a new provider, but a way out of a situation where the old one had become annoying. The decision to leave was made; the question remained, “where to?” This case confirms: the most valuable thing you can change in an account is not the campaign, but the offer.
Traditional Keyword Approach: Why Is It Expensive?
PPC specialists are used to collecting keywords: product terms, modifiers, comparisons, long tails. The logic is simple: bid on what people search for when they want to buy our product. The problem is that this only captures obvious demand.
“Anyone searching for ‘best CRM software’ is already in the market, and all competitors know it. The auction is overheated, CPC is through the roof. The click goes to whoever has more money or better optimization.”
Compare this with the query “cancel [competitor] contract.” Few people bid on it, and many even exclude it. The user is not comparing products; they are solving a different problem, and this makes them the most receptive buyer.
They have already passed the most difficult part of the sales cycle: they have decided that the current solution is not working. This is not an exception; it is a pattern. The highest-intent queries often do not contain product terms but express frustration, a desire to leave, and unresolved problems that your offer can solve.
This data is not about the features people want, but about the problems that are currently bothering them. A feature request is a plan for the next quarter. A complaint is ad copy for today.
Why Do PPC Teams Ignore This Data?
Often, this data resides in other departments: support, product, CX. The PPC team receives a list of keywords and a landing page, and they are told to “make the numbers.” Integrating data from CX, product, and sales into paid search is precisely the M-shaped skill needed for a new approach to PPC. Data silos are expensive.
“Every competitor customer complaint is a proposition for your ad. Every reason for cancellation is an objection that your landing page must address before the call to conversion.”
The data exists, but it doesn’t reach those who can use it to improve campaigns.
How to get started with “cancellation” queries
By default, “cancel” is often added to negative keywords. From the perspective of relevance to a regular landing page, this is logical. From the perspective of intent, it’s a mistake. You are excluding someone who is actively leaving a competitor and has not yet chosen a replacement.
This approach is successfully applied in local SEO to optimize Google Business Profile and website content. The same complaint data works great for PPC campaigns.
The offer solves everything, not just the keyword
Simply finding smart keywords and bidding on them is not enough. If the landing page is the same as for regular clicks, there will be no conversions. Someone looking to “cancel contract [competitor]” doesn’t need a list of your features. They need to know three things:
The transition will be easy.
You understand why they are leaving.
The specific pain that led them to search will not follow them to you.
Ideally, offer a full switching service, data import, or onboarding assistance. The offer is the variable. Not the bid, not the match type, not even the ad copy (although it is critical here, as it must immediately signal that you understand the user’s problem).
An ongoing process, not a one-time event
This is not a one-time insight, but a recurring workflow. Complaints and churn behavior change over time, especially in competitive markets where product updates shift pain points every quarter.
Framework for implementation:
Competitor review analysis: Examine one- and two-star reviews on dominant platforms. Look for recurring complaint themes.
Your sales data: The reasons why potential clients don’t buy often coincide with the reasons why clients leave competitors.
Search query reports: Filter by competitor names, “cancel”, “alternative”, “switch from”, “problems with”. Often these queries organically appear in broad match and are mindlessly added to negative keywords.
Action algorithm:
Collect 1-2-star competitor reviews.
Identify 3-5 recurring complaint themes.
Map each complaint theme to a search query format. For example, “too expensive” → pricing queries; “terrible support” → migration/switching queries; “missing feature X” → comparison queries for that feature.
Check your search query reports. If they exist and are excluded, that’s the first fix. If not, create a campaign to test them.
For each query cluster, check the landing page. It must address a specific complaint. If the page only talks about your features, ignoring the user’s pain, the click is wasted.
Test specialized landing pages against general ones. The page should not be complicated. It should acknowledge the problem, show how you solve it, and make the next step as simple as possible.
PPC teams optimize their campaigns, keywords, and landing pages. This is logical; it’s what they control. But the biggest opportunity may not be in your account. It’s in the frustration your competitor is generating right now: price changes, product gaps, support failures, contract terms. Each such frustration creates a seeker. And this seeker is not looking for a product. They are looking for a way out.
Question for a PPC specialist:
Instead of “What should I bid on?” ask: “What problem has my competitor just created for their customers, and how quickly can I become the solution?”
Automation amplifies any offer. If the offer doesn’t match the intent, you’re scaling a miss. The keyword led to an auction. The offer closed the deal. Your competitor built an exit. Your task is to be what’s at the end of that exit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are “churn” queries and why are they important?
“Churn” queries are search phrases expressing dissatisfaction with a current provider or a desire to switch (e.g., “cancel [competitor] subscription,” “problems with [competitor’s product]”). They are important because they indicate a user with a high degree of intent, who has already decided to leave and is looking for an alternative, making them highly receptive to your offer.
How can I find such keywords if they are not in standard tools?
They can be found by analyzing competitor customer complaints on review sites (G2, Trustpilot), social media, support forums, and churn survey data. It’s also useful to review search query reports in your campaigns, filtering them by competitor names and words related to cancellation or problems.
Do I need a special landing page for “churn” queries?
Yes, a specialized landing page is critically important. It should not just list your advantages, but directly address the problems and pains that caused the user to seek an exit from a competitor. The landing page should convince the user that the transition will be easy, you understand their situation, and you can solve their specific problem.
What CPM should be considered profitable when working with such queries?
CPM will be profitable if the customer acquisition cost (CPA) for these queries is significantly lower than for general campaigns. In the example provided, CPA was 18% lower. The main criterion is your unit economics and ROI. If these queries bring in customers cheaper and with a higher LTV, then the CPM that allows this is profitable.
Is this a one-time tactic or an ongoing process?
This is an ongoing process. Competitors’ complaints and reasons for customer churn can change over time, so it is necessary to regularly monitor this data and adapt your campaigns and offers. This allows you to keep your offers relevant and continuously attract high-intent leads.
The Whatnot platform has announced a new commission structure that could significantly impact sellers’ unit economics. The essence is simple: the more you sell, the less you pay. This is not charity, but a clear calculation aimed at retaining and motivating large players. Understanding what a profitable CPM is becomes key for sellers on this platform.
New Whatnot rates: counting the cash
Now, sellers who achieve monthly sales of $15,000 receive a commission reduction. The rate will continue to drop if sales exceed $250,000. For top sellers, Whatnot claims a possible commission reduction to 3%. This is presented as “the lowest commissions in the industry.”
“Our sellers made this possible. The businesses you’ve built have brought more buyers, products, and communities to Whatnot,” Whatnot said in a blog post. — “As the marketplace expands, we’ve found new ways to support what sellers are building here. Lower commissions, built into how Whatnot works, rather than offered as a temporary promotion, are the next step.”
How does it work in practice?
Sales from $15,000 per month: commission reduction.
Sales from $250,000 per month: further reduction.
Top sellers: commission up to 3%.
A profitable CPM for large players is obvious. The higher the turnover, the lower the percentage of deductions, which directly increases profitability. This is a classic example where a platform stimulates growth by offering more favorable conditions for those who already generate significant revenue.
Whatnot: facts and figures
Whatnot positions itself as a pioneer in e-commerce, combining second-hand sales and live streaming. Facts:
In 2025, the platform generated $8 billion in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV).
Attracts 650,000 new users weekly.
Raised $545 million in a Series G round at a valuation of $20 billion.
These figures show that the platform has a solid margin of safety and can afford to invest in seller loyalty by reducing commissions. The goal is not altruism, but strategic volume growth and retention of market leaders. This is a kind of budget alternative to seeding for the platform, motivating sellers to independently increase traffic and sales.
Seller motivation: Arkollab case study
As an example, Whatnot cites the case of seller Arkollab, who participated in the pilot program of the new rates and doubled their monthly sales. This confirms that commission reductions work as a strong incentive. For the platform, this is a way to provide a cheap hypothesis test and confirm the effectiveness of the new model.
Not just for whales: a chance for “small” players
Although the new terms primarily benefit large sellers, Whatnot states that almost 20% of sellers who achieved $15,000 in sales over four weeks were selling less than $5,000 during the same period six months ago. This indicates growth potential for everyone. If your CPM is cheaper than 50 rubles and you show growth, then this could be your path to more favorable conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CPM should be considered profitable?
A profitable CPM is one that ensures positive unit economics. In Whatnot’s case, a commission reduction to 3% means that for the seller, every dollar of sales brings more net profit, making the CPM profitable at high volume.
Is AI worth it, and what’s cheaper: a banner or a blogger?
The question of the cost of uniqueizing one video or generating 100 AI videos is not directly related to Whatnot’s commissions, but it is important for a general understanding of content costs. In the context of Whatnot, where live content dominates, investments in producing quality streams may be more effective than mass production of AI videos for other platforms. What’s cheaper, a banner or a blogger? On Whatnot, the blogger is the seller, and their effectiveness directly affects the commission size. The commission reduction makes the “blogger” (seller) on the platform more profitable.
How will the new rates affect the cost of publishing 500 videos?
If we are talking about publishing 500 streams or short videos on Whatnot, then upon reaching high sales volumes, the cost of publishing 500 videos will indirectly decrease due to the reduction in the commission percentage from each sale. This makes the platform more attractive for those who are ready for intensive work.
Conclusion: cash matters
Whatnot’s new commission structure is not just about discounts, but a clear calculation for business scaling. For sellers, this is a direct incentive to increase volumes to get low commissions and increase net profit. For the platform, this is a way to retain and motivate key players, ensuring stable GMV growth. If you work on Whatnot, it’s time to recalculate your unit economics and understand how the new terms can increase your cash. Start streaming more to get your profitable CPM.
Yandex is opening a new sales channel for sellers without their own online stores, offering a unique opportunity to achieve a profitable CPM. Now their products are available in Search and chat with Alice AI, and purchases happen in one click. Connecting to the service is free, which makes it potentially beneficial for cheap hypothesis testing and finding new traffic sources. It’s important to calculate unit economics to maximize profit.
What does Yandex offer sellers without a website?
The new feature allows sellers without their own website to place products in Yandex search results and Alice AI. This expands opportunities to reach an audience without significant investment in developing an e-commerce platform.
How does it work?
Yandex Commerce Protocol (YCP): the neural network selects relevant products, displaying them as cards.
Yandex Universal Checkout: users make purchases with a “Buy in one click” button.
Beta testing: the feature is currently in test mode.
“Traffic from Alice AI to Russian e-commerce has grown 4.6 times since the beginning of the year. These are not just numbers, this is sales growth potential that cannot be ignored,” — quote from an analytical report.
How much does it cost to connect and how to start selling?
Connecting to the service is free. The main costs will be associated with payment processing and logistics. This makes the offer an attractive budget alternative to seeding or expensive integrations with influencers.
Steps to start selling:
Yandex Products: submit an application for checkout connection.
Yandex KIT: upload assortment, specify prices, set up payment and delivery.
After these settings, products are automatically displayed in Yandex Search and Alice AI for relevant queries. This is a direct path to the buyer, bypassing the creation of an expensive website.
Logistics and analytics: counting cash
To fulfill orders, the seller can use various logistics options, which provides flexibility and allows for cost optimization. This is a key factor in achieving a profitable CPM.
Analysts note that traffic from Alice AI to Russian e-commerce has grown by 358% since the beginning of the year. This is not just statistics, it is an indicator of a growing audience that can be converted into sales. How much money will it bring for every ruble spent – that’s a question for your unit economics.
Frequently asked questions
What CPM can be considered profitable when working with Yandex?
A profitable CPM is one that provides a positive ROI. In this case, with free connection, the cost will be formed from payment commissions and logistics. It is necessary to conduct test sales to determine the optimal CPM for your product.
Sales via Yandex Search and Alice AI can be significantly cheaper than traditional banner advertising, especially at the initial stage. The absence of a connection fee and the possibility of cheap hypothesis testing makes this channel attractive for small and medium businesses. Banner advertising requires large budgets and does not always guarantee a direct transition to purchase.
Is it worth investing in AI sales channels without your own website?
Yes, it is. Especially for a quick start and demand verification. Yandex provides ready-made infrastructure for accepting payments and delivery, which lowers entry barriers. This allows you to focus on the product and marketing, rather than the technical side of e-commerce.
Conclusion: cash or lost opportunity?
The new sales channel from Yandex is not just an option, it is an opportunity for sellers without a website to gain access to millions of potential buyers. Free connection and flexible logistics conditions allow you to compare prices with other channels and, possibly, find that very profitable CPM. Don’t miss the chance to test hypotheses cheaply.
Start accepting applications and uploading your assortment today to assess the real potential of this sales channel and turn it into a significant source of income for your business.
